Question in Genesis.?
9:19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
9:23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
9:24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Why Noah curse Canaan?for what?
To answer this question we must realise that one of the roles of the father was to prophesy about the future of his sons… and sometimes his grandchildren. To this day in Jewish families the father lays hands on his children before he dies to speak and impart a blessing to them. These blessings were very important to the families. Jacob lied to get his brother's blessing in Genesis 27. Another example is in Genesis 48 and 49, where Jacob blessed his sons and grandsons.
This type of prophecy was usually a blessing, but in Canaan's case it was a curse, not a blessing. Noah then goes on to bless two of his sons, Shem and Japheth. He never mentions Ham at all.
Canaan did nothing against his grandfather, Noah. And you are right, it doesn't seem to make any sense at all.
But if you keep following the story you will realise that Canaan's offspring did become very corrupt and sinned so much that they lost the land that they settled on. Sodom and Gomorrah were towns whose occupants were from Canaan's lineage. In the days of Abraham it was the land of Canaan that God then promised to Abraham, although at that time they had not sinned enough to lose it (Genesis 15:16).
So, when we realise that Noah cursing Canaan was a prophetic declaration of Canaan's destiny it makes sense because we know how they ended up - a people who lost their land because of their sin. Noah didn't make it happen, he just knew that it would happen that way.
I hope that helps,
God bless you.
November 19 2008 08:07 pm | Genesis Drink
13 Responses to “Question in Genesis.?”
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rhsaunders on 20 Nov 2008 at 1:19 am #
The story is fiction.
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hghostinme on 20 Nov 2008 at 1:32 am #
Under law NO one could see thier parents nakedness
it was a SIN
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Callie H on 20 Nov 2008 at 2:15 am #
for telling his "two bretheren"??
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zeppelin_fool_in_the_rain on 20 Nov 2008 at 2:30 am #
My religion teacher told me this last year, it's because Ham didn't have enough respect for his father, the elder, to cover him himself, but instead went and told his brothers instead of concealing his father's action. Just think of it this way… if your mom was in the bathroom taking a dump (with diarrhea) and you know she's in there because you can smell it from all the way downstairs. Instead of doing something nice, like getting some Oust and spraying it, you go out and tell everybody and their momma. Then they come up there and have a whiff. All of a sudden, your mom hears laughter. How would she feel. I highly doubt if she'd curse you, but she sure would curse you out. This is all theoretical, of course.
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Abby ;-) on 20 Nov 2008 at 3:01 am #
try a different version, and it might help clear it up, but basically he cursed him because instead of helping, he looked, and showed a 'whole lot' of disrespect by not doing anything, and telling other people. The other sons showed the Noah respect by not looking at the goods, and covering him up. I think that maybe Noah over-reacted and was still a little under the infuence.
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harry on 20 Nov 2008 at 3:10 am #
I never understood that myself? Perhaps it was a cultural thing. Good question.
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Bobby Jim on 20 Nov 2008 at 3:42 am #
Exodus 34:7
"Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."
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Shazzie on 20 Nov 2008 at 3:51 am #
To answer this question we must realise that one of the roles of the father was to prophesy about the future of his sons… and sometimes his grandchildren. To this day in Jewish families the father lays hands on his children before he dies to speak and impart a blessing to them. These blessings were very important to the families. Jacob lied to get his brother's blessing in Genesis 27. Another example is in Genesis 48 and 49, where Jacob blessed his sons and grandsons.
This type of prophecy was usually a blessing, but in Canaan's case it was a curse, not a blessing. Noah then goes on to bless two of his sons, Shem and Japheth. He never mentions Ham at all.
Canaan did nothing against his grandfather, Noah. And you are right, it doesn't seem to make any sense at all.
But if you keep following the story you will realise that Canaan's offspring did become very corrupt and sinned so much that they lost the land that they settled on. Sodom and Gomorrah were towns whose occupants were from Canaan's lineage. In the days of Abraham it was the land of Canaan that God then promised to Abraham, although at that time they had not sinned enough to lose it (Genesis 15:16).
So, when we realise that Noah cursing Canaan was a prophetic declaration of Canaan's destiny it makes sense because we know how they ended up - a people who lost their land because of their sin. Noah didn't make it happen, he just knew that it would happen that way.
I hope that helps,
God bless you.
References :
liberty on 20 Nov 2008 at 4:39 am #
For disrespect. He should have quickly covered his father and said nothing, so that his father did not have to feel shame.
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tuberoot on 20 Nov 2008 at 5:24 am #
Noah cursed Ham for gossip, I believe. And Canaan was cursed through his father.
What I think Noah did that for is because Noah was very keen on what God was going to do with those generations beyond his own. Noah knew what God wanted, and simply acted on it, just like he did when he built the ark.
That's how I see it anyway.
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yousedummy on 20 Nov 2008 at 6:14 am #
Because he could. Who cares?
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DCFN on 20 Nov 2008 at 6:43 am #
In another place in that Bible, it says that a family will carry the curse of the sins of their parents for 7 generations. Ham tried to humiliate his father Noah by ridiculing Noah's drunken nudity. So, Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan, and for at least 6 more generations the Canaanites were considered unholy and to be exiled. Ham was Noah's younger son, and maybe Canaan was Ham's younger son.
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Wild Guess.
Excite on 20 Nov 2008 at 7:09 am #
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It may be that verse 24 suggests Hamm either uncovered his Father or as has been mentioned was an informer exposing him to some humiliation it could be that men with power to curse should keep this in mind that the curse merely amplified what made Noah madd.
Targetting Canan(offspring) gives it a more personnel effect but also, that was one of Gods way to bring the errors of the previous generation on the current and future.
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QUOTE: "An explanation sometimes offered notes that the phrase "expose father's nakedness" is used several times elsewhere in the Pentateuch as a euphemism for having sexual relations with one's mother, suggesting a different crime."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham
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